There have been some interesting findings in a recent survey conducted by Which?

The results suggested that over 2.5 million people have had a dispute with a builder or tradesman in the last 3 years, and a quarter of those actually took formal action. When you look at the reasons for disagreements between client and tradesmen, the cowboys are definately rearing their ugly heads. The most common disagreement was regarding the quality of work, but other problems included not turning up when agreed, delays over completion and general untidyness.

Other feedback from the Which? survey showed that a quarter of people didn’t get a written quote before start of work, and 4% were asked to pay the upfront for the whole job.

Obviously here at DIY Doctor HQ, we aren’t exactly surprised by the results of the survey, and their executive director, Richard Lloyd has some wise words

“To avoid problems, you should always have a written agreement between you and the trader. And it’s important to do your homework – make sure you get several quotes before deciding who to use, choose a recommended trader and check they’re a member of a professional body.”

So with the DIY Doctor free ‘Desired Outcome Building Contract’, you shouldn’t find yourself in dispute. The contract protects homeowners against rogue traders while protecting good tradesmen from rogue homeowners (yes, there are such people!).

There is no better test of anything than to put it in the hands of the people who will use it the most and we are happy to say (as you can see from the video below), the Desired Outcome Building Contract passed all tests with flying colours.

The homeowners felt that they had full control of their job and had no fear of ‘surprises’ while the builder knew he was going to get paid, the right amount and on time.

The Desired Outcome Building Contract proves what we have said all along. With the right tradesman both parties have exactly the same agenda. The right job, for the right price.